Of Vices and Virtues
by NCIS-SVUgurl
Summary: Maya Hart's life has been full of vices. From money to family to grades, she has not had the chance to see the positive side of this world. But the Matthews family? That's a virtue in and of itself. A virtue that she will be forever grateful for. WARNINGS: Child Abuse, Self-Harm; Maya-centric, Riley/Lucas side pairing
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.- Takes place in their 8th grade year. Maya's grandmother does not live with her, instead she lives in a nursing home.  
>I apologize that I tend to focus more on the actions and descriptions vs dialogue; I just think actions speak louder then words, plus this story needs a lot of background. You will find I am also a big fan of anaphora. I apologize for the weird format of this story too, but logically speaking this was the only way I could do it so no one would get confused. I plan on updating ASAP; I already have the rest of the story pretty much written so.<br>Enough of me rambling nonsense. Enjoy the story!  
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**PROLOGUE:**

It was Thursday, March 26th when he entered Maya's life. It was Wednesday, April 29th when she exited his. Her mother had brought home some interesting characters before, but never had she met someone so utterly and irreversibly horrible that she lost all faith in the world. That is, until he was introduced.

He was a tall man, towering at 6 foot 8, and he had had a happy life, according to her mom. Filthy rich parents (which was probably why her mother started dating him) that loved him so, a superb education, and enough charisma to charm any woman to fall at his feet. That should have raised up red flags right there; for who, with the pick of the litter, would willingly choose a waitress that worked a few dollars over minimum wage at a shabby diner? Maya learned a lot about this man in the first few days of her mother's relationship. But when the fourth day rolled around, that happy little filter she had over her world came crumbling down.

Sure, her mother had dated jerks before, but she was smart enough to know to get out then. Why would this time be any different? 

**CHAPTER 1:**  
><em>Monday, March 30th<em>

Maya had just walked in the door of their apartment at 7 in the evening after spending the weekend at the Matthews. It had been the first weekend of their spring break, thus her and her best friend decided to have a little get together weekend and enjoy the start of their time off.

She heard muffled sobs emanate from her kitchen, so she followed the sound to investigate. She walked in just in time to see an open hand fly through the air and slap her mother in the face, knocking her to the floor. She stood paralyzed for a second, and the man just kept mumbling obscenities at her. "What do you think you are doing?" Maya shouted over the man's grunting.

"Maya, quiet-" Katy Hart said in a quiet and desperate voice.

"Why? You're shutting up enough for both of us." He did not like that. In three short strides he was in front of Maya, towering over her. The stench of alcohol on him was strong, and it stung her nose.

"Why don't you listen to your mother?" He growled, and followed the statement by backhanding her, causing her to fall to the ground, grasping her cheek. Tears swelled up, and she quickly ran into her room and shut the door.

An hour or so later, after a bit more of yelling and loud booms, she heard a soft knock on the door. "Sweetie?" Maya did not look up from her drawing when the door opened. A minute or so passed. "Talk to me."

"I thought you said you were done with guys like him." Maya said, not looking up from her work.

"I thought we decided you would not get involved."

Maya slammed her pencil down on her sketchpad and stood up, spinning around to face a black-eyed Katy Hart. "I thought you said you wouldn't pretend with me!" Her mother stood speechless at the outburst. Her daughter continued on. "I thought you said you could handle yourself. I thought you said you had more respect for yourself then that. I thought you promised me that if and when you needed money, you would tell me so that I could get another job and-"

"Baby girl, please stay out of it, this is bigger then you-"

"Oh, because I'm still a little girl who believes in the tooth fairy, and Santa Clause, and you?" She gave a short, cynical laugh, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Please."

"I'm sorry." Her mother said after a moment, choking back tears. She reached out to touch her daughter's red cheek, but she evaded the touch before it can come in contact.

She heaved a sigh. "Just go. I've got homework." Her tiredness was evident in her voice.

"But I thought you said it was your break this week?" Maya could not muster up enough energy to explain what she was really doing, so she just gave her mother a look that told her to leave.

Katy Hart just nodded and left, shutting the door behind her. Maya sat back down at her desk and folded her arms over her sketchpad, one she had received from the Matthews for Christmas, and dropped her head into her open arms. Silently, she wondered how much longer this man would be prevalent in her life, although the way she phrased it was not as age appropriate for a ninth grader.

On Monday March 30th, with a red cheek and glassy eyes, Maya learned to hold her tongue.

_Thursday, April 2nd_

Spring break had been awesome so far. She had spent nearly every waking moment with Riley, and never went home. After that Monday night, she worried about her mother, but a few phone calls reassured Maya that Katy could handle herself. The two girls had had a fun past few days, but it was beginning to weigh on Cory and Topanga's nerves, especially considering the two growing girls combined were nearly eating them out of house and home.

After an exceptionally rough day at the office, Topanga tumbled into their apartment. She immediately stepped out of her heels and let out a sigh of content that the stress had been removed from her feet.

"Hey, Mrs. Matthews!" Maya said, entering the kitchen and opening the refrigerator.

Topanga forced a smile and pushed to repress the grimace that was creeping up on her features. "Maya, you're still here. I thought you were going home today?"

The young blonde pulled an apple out and took a big bite out of it. "Yeah well Riley and I thought-"

Topanga interrupted her. "Maya, sweetie, you know we love you, but don't you think you should be spending some time this break at your house?"

Maya's smile began to fall, but she forced it back on, and tried to play dumb. "What do you mean, Mrs. Matthews?" She took another bite of apple.

"I mean, Riley needs some alone time. Maybe hang out with other friends. Maybe that Lucas?"

Maya nodded, trying to understand. Only one thing that registered in the young girls muddled mind: Mrs. Matthews did not want her around.

She realized she had zoned out and quickly recovered, placing on a 1000 watt grin. "Oh, I got you, Mrs. Matthews. No problem. I'll be back on Monday to walk Riley to school though."

She ran back to Riley's room, quickly grabbed her belongings, and scribbled a note that she would text her later. Riley was currently in the shower, so Maya was sure she could make her leave with as little stress on everybody as possible. After returning, she turned towards Topanga before exiting the apartment. "Don't think you can get rid of me entirely!"

"The thought never crossed my mind Maya." The older woman replied with a laugh. As soon as she was sure her daughters friend had shut the door, she spoke aloud. "One less mouth to feed." Topanga said to herself. A few seconds later, she laughed at her joke.

But Maya did not hear the laugh afterwords, for she pulled her ear away from the door immediately after hearing the statement. Her smile fell. She slowly meandered out of the apartment complex, wondering where to go next.

She finally decided on going home. It was 6 P.M on a Thursday, meaning Katy worked the late shift, so he would have no reason to be there.

The next night though, Maya would not be so lucky.

_Friday April 3rd_

Maya had done a decent job at leaving Riley be for the day. She texted her back every hour or so, but tried to keep up the front that she was busy with her grandmother. In reality though, Maya was busy collecting things for a job interview. There was a new little family owned restaurant a 20 minute subway ride away that was in need of assistance; they also were not exactly law-abiding owners as well, meaning they would gladly hire a 13 year old girl in need of some cash if she had the right identification in the case of an emergency. The papers were easy enough to get, making them look presentable though- that is a whole other ball game. The owners said they would meet her halfway with the legality issues, as long as she could and would work as many hours as possible.

Maya Hart did not turn them down.

She was to start Tuesday after school.

After thanking the owners and hanging up, she briefly thought of what her mother would say. Maya knew her mother hated the idea of her working late hours or even working at all.

But Katy Hart needed the money and, although she had always said she never wanted Maya's little arms coming home covered in pancake syrup, she will never question why her daughter comes home smelling like Chinese. Or where the money she is going to be given comes from. And Maya knew that is all that really mattered.

No good deed goes unpunished though, and that night Maya accidentally entered a scene she was not supposed to, and got a black eye to match her mother's. It was a good thing she would not see Riley for the next three days, for it could heal in that time. And if it did not, the wonders of make-up could easily conceal whatever need be. That night, Maya learned not to make eye contact if possible.

For the final duration of the weekend, she brushed up on her makeup skills. Lord knew it would come in handy.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed so far! Please keep dropping them, I appreciate it so much, you have no idea! After this, chapters will be getting longer, but I plan on updating on Sundays. This story is only meant to be 5-6 chapters, but they will be long ones, just so you know what you are getting into.**

**Also, I do not own GMW. Enjoy and have a good day!**

_Monday April 6th_

"Maya!" Riley's loud shout rang in her ears. Maya had not slept well the previous night, with a fitful sleep and constant nightmares and all, but she was not about to let Riley know that. The two girls ran through the Matthews' living room and jumped into a hug.

"Hey, little plant." She replied while squeezing her friend.

Riley was the first to pull back. "You were so busy with your grandma that you couldn't text me back?"

Maya gave a laugh. "Yeah. You know how it goes with them old people and their incessant need to make quilts."

"How ya doin' Maya?" Cory shouted, entering the kitchen, and adjusting his suit jacket.

"Breakfast girls." Topanga continued from her husbands statement, placing the Poptarts on each plate respectively.

"No thanks, Mrs. Matthews." Maya responded, trying to keep her distance.

"I'm still not asking, Maya." Topanga said with a half smile.

"So guess what?" Riley asked, adjusting her body to face Maya after swallowing her bite of the pastry.

"What?"

"Lucas and I-" She began, but was all too soon interrupted.

"GAH!" Cory threw a hand towards Riley and placed the other on his chest. "Please not during breakfast."

"Daddy..."

Cory made another inhuman noise. "Please. If you love your old father at all. No Mr. Friar talk during breakfast."

"No, please do, sweetie. I would love to send him into a heart attack." Topanga said with a smile, egging on her over-dramatic husband.

"Why must you hate me?" He replied.

The buzzing of Maya's phone caused her to jump a little, and she checked the time. "Time to go!" She stood up from the bench, threw her bag over her shoulder, and started walking out.

Riley gave her mom and dad a hug and a kiss each, and Maya felt that typical pang in her chest. The two girls were almost out the door, arm-in-arm, before too long.

"See you girls later!" Cory spoke at their fleeting forms. They both threw a hand in the air, waving behind them.

On the subway ride to school, Riley told Maya all about the end of her Spring Break, or rather, who she spent all of her time with. Apparently, Lucas was in need of some companionship since he got back early from his trip to Texas, so the two hung out together for the rest of break. They went to the library and even a couple of movies. Maya pretended to listen for most of the one-sided conversation.

Little did she know that Lucas and Riley's Spring Break fling was only the tip of the relationship iceberg.

_Tuesday April 7th_

"Thank you, I am Farkle!" Farkle ended his speech with both his hands raised in the air and a bow.

Cory was grinning ear to ear. "Don't you guys just love Farkle time?"

The groan from the half-asleep class told him his answer.

He looked at his watch. "Well, the bell is about to ring." Cory decided to cut these kids a break today, for they had all stayed awake (albeit barely) during the lecture. "No homework tonight!"

The class was wide awake after that.

The bell rang, and everyone ran to their lockers to get their belongings. Riley ran up to Maya, nearly squealing, as they put their school supplies in their bags.

The blonde took note of the bouncing brunette. "Do you need to use the restroom, Riles?"

She ignored her friend's attempt to make fun of her. "Guess what?"

Maya decided to play along. Riley was just such a happy little plant, how could she take that joy away? She smiled as she answered "What?".

"Lucas and I got put together as project partners in science!" She bounced even higher then before. "Why aren't you bouncing with me?"

"Sorry, little plant. I'm just really wiped after that Farkle lecture." Just as the words came out of her mouth, the boy came pouncing out of the blue.

"Did you guys enjoy it?" Farkle said, his enthusiasm still very prevalent.

"Riles. Careful." Maya warned.

"Yes Farkle, it was great!"

"Really? Thanks Riley! That means a lot." And with that, he was off.

Riley tilted her head sideways. "Well that wasn't that bad!" She turned back towards Maya, whose head was now leaning against the locker. "Hey, what happened to your head?" She asked, gently grazing the bruise that her hair had hidden from her view.

"Oh, I uh-" Maya fixed her hair to cover the bruise. "Walked into a tree branch. I told you I had a rough morning." She shut her locker door. "Let's go, Riles. You can tell me more about your new project partner." She winked at her friend as they left school, arm-in-arm.

That night, after a taxing first official day of work, Maya learned that only good girls deserve food.

But Maya also learned that she could handle this. All of this. 

_Wednesday, April 8th_

Maya was sent home from work, for the restaurant was dead and they knew that on a Wednesday night, business would not be booming. At 7:42 P.M., when everyone except she was out of the apartment, she got a text from a familiar number.

**Guess who's no longer single?! :D**

Maya knew it was going to be a long night, even though he was not there to make sure of it.

_Thursday, April 9th_

The bell had just rung, signaling the end of study hall for half of the student body and the beginning of lunch. Lucas and Farkle were not in the same study hall as Maya and Riley, so they tended to meet up outside the lunchroom before entering as a group. But since two of the four were now dating, he came looking for her prior to that.

"Hey, where's Riley?" Lucas asked while walking up to Maya's locker.

"She had to stay after to talk to Mr. Matthews." Maya shut her locker and stood up. "Listen." Lucas turned to face his girlfriend's best friend. "I'm happy you two are together, but I swear if you hurt her Lucas Friar-"

"I know." Lucas stopped her. "I will pay for it. Believe me, I think I'm more scared of you then I am of Mr. Matthews," he tipped his imaginary cowboy hat towards her. "Ma'am."

Maya simply gave a single nod as she began to walk away.

"So you're not going to try to make fun of me anymore?"

"I never said that, now did I?" She turned back to face him, a smirk gracing her features. "Ranger Rick."

For lunch they were serving tacos, one of Maya's favorites. But Maya was not a good girl, so to become one she gave her food to Farkle.

"I'm just not hungry today." She spoke strongly when they gave her questioning glances.

Friday nights, or rather Saturday mornings, always seemed to be the worse times for Maya to learn her lessons. Regardless, Maya learned children are financial burdens. Not all, just Maya mainly.

Maya learned that frozen peas help with fat lips more then ice packs.

Maya also learned not to cry for any circumstances. Ever.

_Saturday, April 11th_

On Saturday April 11th, at 6:30 in the morning, Maya learned that she is the scum of the earth.

On Saturday April 11th, Maya was doing the dishes at her work. The knife she was monotonously washing got a little too slippery, and that blade came a little too close to her wrist. A small amount of red liquid leaked out of her arm. This vibrant red, this pulsating thing slowly dripping down her arm along with the slight sting gave Maya a jolt of adrenaline.

On Saturday April 11th, Maya began to self harm.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I got a suggestion to incorporate Maya's thoughts more. I think that sounds great, so from now on the italicized bits are Maya's thoughts. (Obviously not including the actual dates and other parts that are italicized for emphasis. It is easy to spot the difference). Also, most of these chapters were already pre-written, so I apologize that I could not incorporate it as much as maybe hoped for. I will try and update again next Sunday, but I make no promises with finals on the way. **

**Please drop me a review :)**

**Thanks, enjoy, and have a great week!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own GMW. **

_Monday, April 13th_

When you hide in your closet for hours on end, hoping that he will not find cause to hunt you down, you have ample time to think. Sunday night into Monday morning, Maya found a way to get out of walking Riley to school some days. _All I have to do is send a text five or so minutes before I have to be outside the Matthews apartment explaining I am running late, and boom: no breakfast and no irritating presence of Maya Hart._

She knew she would have to begin pulling away from all of her relationships at some point. She may as well start now to avoid as much collateral damage as possible when and if the world came crashing down.

In short, to quote him, Maya was a "worthless, pathetic, disgusting little pig who is a waste of space". She would forever be remorseful that she had forced herself onto people such as the Matthews, Farkle, and Lucas.

That night, Maya learned to not talk at all unless spoken to. And even then, respond with caution.

_Tuesday, April 14th_

"What happened to your wrist?" Riley asked, gently grabbing her friends arm. Maya glanced down to where her sleeve should be, a few angry red lines facing out towards her.

"Yeah, that looks bad Maya." Farkle said, turning his head to get a better view of it. In response to the stares, she quickly pulled her arm down to her side, pulling the sleeve back over it in the process. She looked at Lucas, his eyes laced with concern as well.

"There was this project that I was-" The one minute warning bell sounded, giving Maya the perfect scape goat. She offered a quick smile and shut her locker. "We better get to class."

"All right class," Cory Matthews said, clapping his hands together as the crowd of students started to quiet down after the final bell sounded. "I think it's time for some change. And what's a better way to experience change then to get new seats?" Moans and groans could be heard across the board.

Cory apologized to the class, but told him it was not his choice. He explained that the way he picked the new seats was by a random seat generator app that the school had just gotten.

"First row from left to right: Jennifer Davis, Lucas Friar, Riley Matthews, James Folger." He continued on with the second and third row, slightly raising his voice so the children could hear him over the shuffling of bags and jeans. He was zoning out by the time he finished the second row, and was just now monotonously reciting the names off the screen. "And finally, the fourth row: Maya Hart and Lucy McCall. Glad we finally got out of the way. Now, onto-"

He stood up and glanced over the classroom. The first thing he noticed was a certain Mr. Perfect sitting next to his daughter; the second was the forlorn look on his daughter's face that was staring back at someone in the fourth row. A certain blonde best friend that was staring at the notebook in front of her, a blank expression on her face.

Riley spun around to face her dad, her expression now mimicking that of her friends, except her eyebrows were a bit more furrowed. After a few awkward seconds of staring in utter silence, he continued on with his lecture. "So the War of 1812..."

_Wednesday, April 15th_

Maya walked down the hall, minding her own business. She had done a pretty decent job at keeping her mouth shut and keeping her distance. Her makeup skills had improved tenth fold; they had to though, for that was another side effect of her mother's "relationship". She stopped in front of her locker, opened it up, and began putting her stuff in. It was the beginning of the lunch period, and although she had discovered a way to get out of lunch, she could not do it today. If she used her plan to get out of the meal period everyday, people would start asking questions.

Maya had zoned out, staring at the contents of her locker until she felt a heavy clap on the shoulder. Not only did she nearly jump out of her skin, but she nearly fell over as well, and if it was not for the steady hand, she would have slammed her head into the side of the locker.

"Geez, jumpy much, Hart?"

She rolled her eyes and shook him off, trying to not jostle her body as much as possible. He had done a number on her last night. "Don't you have a cow bell or something you could start wearing?" A forced smile on her face now.

Lucas gave a nervous laugh, growing more concerned over his friend. He noticed something dark on the back of her neck when she fell. "What happened to your neck?"

Maya fixed her hair to cover her neck. "I fell asleep with a necklace on, and it left an imprint." She needed to change the subject. "Back to what I was saying, does Bessy have a bell she would let you borrow?" She slapped the smirk back on her face.

Lucas decided to let whatever this was slide. "If that would please the li'l lady, I would be happy to oblige."

Maya frowned responded by giving her signature creeped-out laugh. "Oh ho ho ho. Am I ever going to get under your skin?" She questioned, trying to keep her witty banter up so he would move on. Riley then walked up to the group, and the topic got changed.

Maya stayed quiet for the most of the duration of lunch because she had nothing important to say. Chicken tenders that were actually pretty good, but Farkle liked them more so she gave hers to him. _He is skinny enough as it is, why should be denied more food when he clearly needs it?_

Later on, she found it interesting that sliding slowly down the wall, alone in your bedroom, with a nice sharp blade in your hands somehow stung more then any slap ever could.

_Isn't it amazing how much I can hate myself?_ She did a quick slice.

_Thursday, April 16th_

Maya learned that she would have to change her habit real soon, because gym teachers are not as lean about wearing sweatshirts during their class as others are. (Granted, the next gym class she would learn that sweatpants are within dress code, and she would also learn that even if it costs a few more dollars out of her paycheck, the waterproof concealer and powder does wonders in coverage even with sweat. She was lucky that the new gym uniform shirt was baggy, and covered nearly all of her, except for her forearms.)

(She would also learn that "wrestling with her sibling" was a good enough excuse for the bruises and a few cuts on her arms for the gym teacher, but not her friends. _Not friends_, Maya would tell herself, _peers_. She told her peers that she went to the nursing home to volunteer with her grandmother, and their was a little tussle with an old guy.)

(They believed it, for the most part.)

_Friday, April 17th_

"And that is why-" the bell rang, effectively cutting off Cory Matthews' lecture. He skimmed over the heads of all his students until they landed on Maya, sitting in the back of the room, and putting her materials in her book bag seemingly as fast as humanly possible. "Miss Hart, could you stay after for a sec?"

She paused, looked up to make eye-contact with a smiling Cory, and went back to putting her stuff away, slower this time. When she had finished and walked up to him, nearly every student had left.

"You want us to wait?" One of the last two students remaining said.

"Nah. You two go on ahead. I'll meet up with you." A smiling Riley grabbed Lucas' hand and continued on their way out the door. Once she was certain they were out of ear-shot, she turned her attention back to her teacher who was standing not three feet away. "Yes, sir?"

Cory watched her for a second, noting her physical state. She seemed more thin, if that was possible. "How ya doin'?" He asked, concern lacing his voice involuntarily.

Maya forced a smirk on her face. "I'm fine and yourself?" She leaned against a desk that was to her right, trying to take some weight off of her body. She was healing because she had gotten out of a beating the night before, but who knew what tonight had in store and whether or not her work would get her out of it.

"I'm serious Maya." His smile fell from his face and he took a step towards her, getting closer to her face then she would have liked. Concern crept its way into her bones and she worried that he could see past her fake face and her façade. Her smirk fell, but she kept her walls up and body language relaxed.

"I am too." She replied in a cool, unwavering voice.

"You'd tell me if something was going on right? Because if you need-"

"Look, Mr. Matthews-"

"-me to talk to Riley-" They talked over each other, but Maya was the first to stop.

"Wait, what?"

"I've noticed you and Riley have not been talking as much lately. Plus, you haven't been walking her to school, or should I say, you've been waking up a little too late. If it's because of, uh, Mr. Friar, I can talk to her."

Maya could have collapsed from sheer happiness. Her teacher and friend's father was just as naïve as he should be. "No, no sir! Everything is fine." She flashed a smile to prove her point. Her brain scanned through recent conversations, trying to find another case to prove her point. She remembered the talk on the subway ride this morning. "In fact, tonight we are all going to the movies together. I'm not sure if she's asked you yet, but." She spat out quickly to him.

He gazed at her for a few long seconds, and only looked away to clap his hands, cross them over his chest, and lean back against his desk. "Feel free to tell me if something happens. Remember our deal." He smiled, but then it quickly fell as he added "And make sure you sit in between them at the theater."

"You got it." Maya threw over her shoulder, nearly running out of the room.

Her next class after lunch was health, a class where she had no friends and no faux-concerned teachers. She sprinted up the stairs and began walking down to the end of the hall. This was one of the days where she would use her plan: Tell them that she was really behind on homework or a project or something, and ate lunch in a classroom or the library to get some of it done. This was not entirely a lie; for between school work, tests, projects, brutal hours at work, and being knocked unconscious, she had fallen behind on her studies.

"Hey Maya!" A peppy male voice came from behind. "Wait up!" She paused in her steps, listening to the shuffle of jeans as the steps approached. "May I walk with you to lunch?" Farkle asked, a smile evident in his voice.

"Up to you." She muttered under her breath, staring off as she continued her pace towards the bathroom at the end of the hall.

"Well thank you." He started talking a little bit about his homework load, and as they neared the bathroom, he talked a little faster. "I hear for lunch we're having-" Farkle's question was halted when he heard a door slam to his right. The women's bathroom door, specifically. "Women." He replied exasperatedly to no one in particular, continuing on with his day with his typical grin.

Inside the bathroom stall, Maya slid to the floor, trying to control her breathing. She replayed the scene with Mr. Matthews in her head over again, mentally picturing her body language and her verbal language, scanning for any inconsistencies that would be a cause for concern. Nothing could immediately come to mind. She replayed it another time, and was only brought out of her reverie when she heard a door slam. She immediately stood up and released a breath she did not know she was holding when she heard the click-clack of heels on the tile floor and a shut of another stall.

Maya knew she should not stay in here for much longer; Farkle saw her come in, and if Riley came looking for her during the lunch period, the boy would lead her straight here. After the final bell rang, she stealthily left the bathroom, peeked around the door to see if anyone was in the hallway, and tip-toed over to the janitors' closet a few feet down. She shut the door behind her and sighed.

"Can I help you?" A gruff voice behind her caused Maya to nearly jump out of her skin.

"Uh." She recognized the man's voice, and when she turned, she recognized the face. "Janitor Keiner."

"That would be my name."

Maya stared at him dumbstruck for a few more seconds. "Uh, sorry. Could I just like," She cleared her throat. "Stay in here for a little while?"

He stared her down, a mixture of concern and questioning in his gaze. "Yeah, just don't mess with nothin'." He continued packing up the cart with various cleansers. Maya took the opportunity to sit down on a chair in the corner of the room and lean her head against the cool cemented wall. She zoned out, staring off into the distance, until the same voice pulled her out. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." The young blonde automatically responded, not looking up from the point she was staring at.

Keiner opened the door and began to walk out, but he paused before his exit, turning back towards the girl. "Cause you know the baboon- Mr. Matthews, I mean, is always willing to help someone in need." The older man added in quickly.

_Not for pathetic wastes like me_. She still offered a forced smile. Once he had left, she went back to leaning against the wall, hoping and praying to whoever would listen that no one would find her.

That night, soon after texting Mr. Matthews that she had arrived and was sitting in between Mr. Friar and Riley, Maya learned that if she pretended to be unconscious, he would give up sooner.

_Saturday, April 18th_

Unfortunately, Maya did not have to go into work today.

And he got off work early.

And because it was Saturday, the bars opened early.

On Saturday April 18th, Maya learned to not pretend to be unconscious too quickly, for he will know she is faking, and the situation will be worse. _If I pretend too quickly, then I will not make it into work until the following Monday. If I do not make it into work, I do not get paid. If I do not get paid, the heat gets cut off._ The utility company is not as understanding as her bosses, and, as unsurprising as it is for Maya, her mother desperately relies on the new source of income.

_Monday, April 20th_

Topanga never asked if Maya wanted breakfast. She always just told her breakfast was ready and to come sit down. Today, Maya did not feel like arguing. She just left a soft smile on her face and generally kept her gaze downwards. She also made sure to be polite when she got buzzed in. _No more "hey losers!". Remember Maya. You are a responsibility to them. They do not want _you.

When she finally entered the apartment, Auggie was telling his mom about what was going to happen today in school. Once he was finished, Topanga looked over to see a yawning Cory walk in.

"How ya doin' sweetie?" She asked with an amused smile.

"I was up all night grading papers. Coffee?" He asked with a hopeful smile.

After delivering the promised liquid to a now much happier Cory, Topanga thought it would be a good idea to question Maya. _Emphasis on the "good"_.

"Maya, when's the last time you ate?" The girl in question dropped her fork on her plate with a loud clank in response.

She wiped her mouth with her napkin to disguise the look of shock. "What, Mrs. Matthews?"

"You just seem to have lost a bit of weight recently. I just wondered when the last time you ate was."

Maya scanned through her foggy memory. If she was honest, she could not remember. _What day is it again? I really shouldn't be here, intruding on the Matthews like this. Will you ever learn what a waste of space you are? _Her thoughts were screaming over one another.

But now is not the time to be honest, and with multiple pairs of eyes staring at her she settled on, "Last night?" She inwardly cursed herself for the questioning inflection of her voice.

"What did you have?" Topanga's smile got bigger, and she took a bite of her breakfast.

The lie hit Maya like a ton of bricks. "Turkey. We went to my grandmother's nursing home and she invited us to stay and eat."

Auggie made a face. "That's gross! Old people food is never good."

Maya plastered on a bigger smile. If she could sell Auggie on it, she could sell any of the Matthews on it. "It was surprisingly good for old people food. You might have even liked it."

Her phone buzzed and, once again, she jumped in response. They noticed it this time, and with curious eyes, Maya covered herself. "I can not get used to this phone!" Cory gave her a smile and nod.

"Time to go!" Riley grabbed Maya by the upper arm and began hauling her out the door. She was happy that she was facing away from everybody, that way no one saw her eyes and jaw clench together in pain.

Maya learned she needed to layer her clothes more. _Not only to keep myself warm, because my body has been sucking at it lately,_ but to also pull off the illusion of weight. _I will be damned if that is what takes my mother away from me._


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.- Two more chapters after this. It's been a fun ride. Let's do it again sometime ;) **

**As always, please review. It really does make my day even if it's just "asdffg update plox"**

**Have a great week everyone, and good luck on finals! Lord knows I'll need it.**

_Tuesday, April 21st_

She was standing in a long hallway, one that strongly resembled the upstairs of her school. Lockers lined the walls on either side of her, and the spotted linoleum under her feet seemed cleaner then ever. A soft white light fell on everything, and Maya could not tell what was going on. It was almost as of she was on a cloud, as a white fluffy mist surrounded everything. She soon took notice of a dark figure at the end of the hall.

"Hey!" The figure shouted down the hallway. Maya turned her head at an angle and squinted her eyes.

"Riley?" Maya whispered to herself. Riley began to walk towards her and she followed in suite.

The blonde was halfway down the hallway when she noticed how heavy her legs were. She halted just before the middle of the hallway and leaned against the lockers a little, letting her friend finish walking up to her.

"What are you doing here?" Riley questioned with a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes when she was a few feet in front of her. Maya opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. "You're so silly! You can talk to me you know." Riley continued. Maya once again tried to respond, but her voice would not cooperate.

They stood there for a few seconds when a voice emanated from behind the blonde that sent a slight shudder down her spine, and the smile to fall from her face. "I was just wandering around, ma'am." Riley giggled in response. Maya turned to face the voices owner.

Lucas stood in front of Maya, but was not looking at her. It seemed as if he was looking past her. She opened her mouth to make a remark at his accent, but stopped when he took a step towards her. Then took another step-

Through her.

Maya's being evaporated like mist when Lucas Friar walked through her. And it left Maya with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She turned back towards the two who were still talking, now murmurs that she did not care to understand. Riley and Lucas walked away, hand-in-hand, and Maya was more frozen in place then she had ever been before. She slowly sank to the linoleum floor of the school and stared off until a loud beeping was heard.

Maya awoke with a jolt when the alarm went off.

She groaned getting out of bed, her ribs and her arms and her legs and her face and everything protesting for her to not move, especially her wrist. The past few lessons had really taken a tole on her, and she was grateful she did not have gym today. 

Today, the blonde was not feeling much of anything physical, so she used her "get out of walking Riley to school free" card. It worked wonders until she actually got to school or, more precisely, study hall.

Maya had done a pretty fantastic job at avoiding everyone today. She kept nearly all of her school necessities on her person so she would have no reason to go to her locker, and she hid in the bathroom nearest her classes until the one minute bell rang, giving any possible person no time to speak to her when class began.

She had forgotten about study hall though. The time when you were allowed to talk to anyone you wanted.

_For thirty whole minutes._

Maya walked back to her seat that she normally sits in during history class. As soon as the final bell sounded, Cory made his usual rant about how the students should try to use this time wisely, then eventually settled on "just keep it to a dull roar, please". After he took attendance, he let the students roam around to wherever they wanted to sit.

Riley immediately picked up her belongings and went back to the desk next to Maya. Maya did not move to make eye-contact.

"Why won't you tell me what's going on?" The brunette's innocent voice quietly inquired after a few moments of silence.

Maya went to move her body from the leaned back position she was in to a more upright position. She pursed her lips in order to suppress the groan that was trying to escape. _If I could never move ever, that would be great._ "There are things out there you don't need to know about, Riles."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Maya sighed. "I've just got a lot on my plate right now."

Riley put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to face her. Maya suppressed a wince. "Are you being bullied?"

"What? No!"

"Then why aren't you talking to us?" She moved a fallen strand out of Maya's face. _Riley always has that need to perfect everything. Too bad she can't do that to my life. _Riley looked down at her friends red hands. "And why is your wrist so red and swollen?" She picked the left hand up from Maya's lap. She hissed in pain.

The blonde immediately pulled away. "I fell walking up the stairs yesterday. It's just a sprain, Riley, it'll be fine."

The caring nature in her friend kicked in. "Do you need me to take you to the nurse?"

Maya took a deep breath, trying to keep her heart beat down, and to keep the answer from jumping off her lips. This whole charade will be for naught if she has a heart attack."No, no it's fine. I have a wrap at home, I just forgot it today." _Change the subject, Hart. _She placed that beautifully fake smile on. "So how are you and Lucas doing?"

The brunette stared blankly at her for a long while, and her heartbeat started doing that weird thing again. She smiled bigger this time, and took her working hand and waved it in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Riles?"

She shook her head in response a few times and began filling Maya in. Maya paid real close attention this time; she was not only happy for her friend, but it also took her mind off of her throbbing wrist. The study hall flew by after that. 

After the school day was over, the group walked out together. As they neared the exit, Maya realized she did not have to go to work until 4:30. Meaning she would be going home, and risking running into him.

She halted in her steps, nearly causing Farkle to crash into her. "Oh, hey I forgot something in my locker."

The group stopped and Riley turned to face her, not letting go of Lucas' hand. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Or Farkle could go with you." Farkle offered, leaning against the nearest lockers and flipping his hair in an attempt to be cool. "It's really dangerous around these parts."

Maya squinted her eyes. "It's 3 o'clock in a middle school. I think I can handle it, Farkle." She began slowly backing away. "Thanks anyway. I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

She waited until the three left, then went to the nearest bathroom to change into her uniform. Her mind sifted through everything that had happened today.

_It is not good to remind them that I exist. Not good at all. I can't afford to let myself feel good, to let my guard down, to think for a single moment that I belong. Because I don't. This is Riley's world and, although I am extremely grateful to have even a minor role in it, I need to remember my place, and to take my leave when need be. I do not need to waste her time with my stupidity._

_Thursday, April 23rd_

As soon as the coast was clear, Maya picked herself up off the floor. She squinted in the darkness, trying to focus on her mother who was sitting on the couch, arms wrapped around herself.

"I'm sor-"

"Save it." Maya spat as she began to exit the living room, using the wall for assistance.

"Maya." The choked and hushed response halted her in her footsteps. The desperation in her mother's tone of voice, as if whispering it was her last-ditch effort at saving what was left of her daughter.

_Probably because it is._

She turned toward the figure who was looking at her with glassy eyes. "You can do something about this." Maya said with a firm voice. "You can make him leave and make it stop."

"I can't-"

"And why the hell not?" Maya took a wobbly step toward her. "I can't keep doing this." She gestured to her battered and bruised body. "People are starting to question- is that it? Do you want them to take me away?" She was grateful that her voice never faltered.

"No!" Her mother nearly shouted, standing abruptly. They both hunched over and stayed silent for a few seconds after, hoping and praying that it did not awaken him. "I love you Maya. You know that right?" She paused and waited for a nod from her only daughter. "I want to give you the life you deserve. I just can't afford it, and with the restaurant cutting back on my pay, and the rent and utilities jumping-" She paused when she heard a loud squeak from her bedroom. Then snoring filled the apartment again.

"Lot of good that's done, huh?" Maya rolled her eyes and gripped her sides tighter. "So much for him helping pay the bills! Over the course of the past month, our water and heat has been cut once so quit giving me the bull that he is giving you money!" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to even her breathing to get the pain in her lungs to subside.

"He said he'd pay me at the end of the month."

Maya stood up straight at that, or straighter then she had been, ignoring the screams from every inch of her body telling her not to. "You've really stooped that low? You're selling yourself to him, aren't you?"

"Sweetie, finding another job these days is hard-"

"You never tried!" Maya nearly screamed, her small damaged hands balled up into fists. She clamped her hands over her mouth, pleading that did not awake the monster.

Tears were pouring down Katy's face now. "Just give me a little while longer."

"I don't have a little while longer." Her mother looked at her longingly. Maya sighed quietly. "I'll give you another week, but after that I-" She let the threat hang in the air. Her mother nodded, and with that, they both went to their respected rooms.

_Friday, April 24th_

On Friday, April 24th, the restaurant went under. Something about health inspectors and "undesirable working conditions"; Maya was lucky she had not gone into work the day prior, for the inspectors would have done their jobs and inspected her. She covered for another date night for Riley and Lucas in the evening, but what else was new.

_Saturday, April 25th_

Without work to occupy her time, Maya tried to spend as much time out of the house as possible, for he was off work as well. Granted he usually did not start drinking until 7 or 8, she still did not want to be in the remote presence of it. Today, she went up to the restaurant owners home to pick up her final paycheck. The two men gave her a bit of a bonus, for she had been a very loyal and hard worker. They gave her a long gaze, as she was not wearing much cover up, but remembered it was none of their business, and bid her farewell. Eventually, she had to wander back to the apartment.

Her mother still had not kept her end of the bargain.

And Maya was running dangerously low on make up.

_Sunday, April 26th_

If Maya's wrist was not broken before, it sure was now. She was lucky that at the Immediate Care up the street people did not ask questions. Apparently, it was just a "very severe sprain", and thus they wrapped it. Their means might not have been has orthodox as going to the emergency room, but Maya could not afford the emergency room let alone the questions and information they would demand. $175 went down the drain.

_Monday, April 27th_

No one really talked to her today. They were pretty much wrapped up in their own lives, but she still avoided anyone that tried. Why would anyone waste their time on her anyway?

Maya thought she could handle it.

That night, she realized there is no handle in this situation.

"How 'bout we play a little game, pretty girl?" He slurred, taking an unsure step toward her. The young blonde did not think she had ever seen him this wasted. He was finally in front of her. He stretched out his hand and began pulling her body close to his, rubbing her back. Then slowly but surely, attempting to slide his hand up the back of her shirt.

_Key word being attempting. I am not about to let THAT happen._ "How 'bout we play a game of screw off instead? You go first." Maya spat, throwing her undamaged fist in the air, and surprisingly making contact with his jaw. It was not a powerful hit, but it was enough to send the already heavily intoxicated man to the floor with a thud.

She stood paralyzed for a few seconds, and soon the monster was getting up off the floor. He had no memory of what happened not three minutes before, only that a girl was standing there with her fists clenched.

"What did I tell you about trying to fight back, bitch?"

That night, she realized it was time to run.

The beating was the worse she had ever received, if that was possible. She gave her mom a week, but Maya is now laying helplessly on the floor and she can not get up the energy, or even find a reason, to fight back and _the blows just keep raining down_. Boot to ribs, boot to ribs, boot to stomach, ripped hair and thrown into the wall. Before she gets knocked entirely unconscious (not of her choosing), she decides that tomorrow is the day she will leave.

_That is, if I wake up in the morning._

_Tuesday, April 28th_

When she came to, Maya looked around the room, trying to gauge her surroundings. Red brick walls, an old purple comforter covering the bed, and a familiar backpack was all her unfocused eyes could see; she was on the floor in her bedroom. She reached for her backpack that was thrown haphazardly near her and pulled out her phone. 6:54 A.M. it flashed back at her in blocky black letters. She had six minutes to be dressed, prepped, and outside Riley's front door. She tried to sit up, but the fire that lit up her insides and the pain all over her body pushed her back to the ground. Thus, she swiped the phone on to send a text to her friend.

**I won't be able to walk you to school today. Got the flu. Sorry little plant :( enjoy the rest of your week!  
><strong>  
>Hitting send, she returned the phone to it's original state and dialed the schools phone number. She cleared her throat and mimicked her mother the best she could prior to the attendance worker answering. "Hi, yes, this is Katy Hart, the mother of Maya Hart. I'm just calling in advance to tell you Maya will not be making it to school today. She has the flu and probably won't be in for the rest of the week." The woman on the other end offered her condolences and a quick 'tell her to feel better'. She thanked her and hung up.<p>

Maya scrambled her muddled brain for the adults work schedules. _Mom works until 8 tonight, meaning he will find a way to be home at 8 tonight. I have until then to be gone. Hopefully long gone by then._ With the shape that her body was in, she had better get started right away.

But the floor was so comfortable and gravity and her screaming body seemed to fight Maya every step of the way to just sit up, so she slowly laid back down and closed her eyes.

She re-awoke at 10. After limping to the bathroom to get some Advil and take a freezing shower to at least attempt to alleviate some of the pain (which is much harder when you only have one hand) and putting on makeup, Maya began packing. She was going to use her school bag, for that was the only one she had that was of adequate size. She would be back next Sunday to get her school supplies, but until then she would be on her own. Reminding herself to only pack the necessities, she started with her toiletries then moved up from there. She threw her hair in a pony tail to keep her hair out of her face, but packed a few extra for good measure, and also complete outfit. She would wear an oversized black zip-up hoodie with long sleeved shirt underneath with skinny jeans and combats; it may be almost May, but the nights in New York were still very chilly.

She dug through her only dressers top drawer and removed the fake bottom. She gently slid out the Ziploc bag that was filled with cash and dropped it in the top of her backpack along with her phone (turned off to save battery life, of course) and it's matching charger. She had some money saved up from work and from birthday and Christmas presents because she knew it would be downright stupid of her to always give her mother her full paycheck. _I would have had near $200, but wrists are very expensive to fix_.

Maya had to take many breaks throughout the process. Not only was the packing overwhelming, but with the pain and the fact she had not eaten a decent meal in quite some time, she was surprised she was still standing when it was all said and done. Before she left, she crammed a couple last minute things into her bag; the few things in that wretched apartment that still held any importance to her.

After securing the drawing pad, a regular school-issued notebook, lead pencil, and colored pencils in the front pocket of her backpack, she left a short note for Katy. "You know why I'm gone. I'll be back.". Maya began slowly walking towards the front door.

To any other eye, this "walking" would be considered hobbling.

It was 3 in the afternoon on a Wednesday when Maya left, meaning she could easily spend the rest of the day hiding in the quiet library, figuring out what to do with the rest of the week. It did not close until 8 on weeknights, so she had ample time to sit amongst the books. She picked a table in the corner where no one ever ventured.

She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled out her lined notebook. Tapping the pencil on the table a few times, Maya began to run plans and scribbled notes.

_I have 5 bucks to live off of for four days. I can do that. McDonald's dollar menu is cheap for a reason. I get one meal a day. No problem. That's more then I usually get anyway. _Once the library closed for the night, she went to the nearest restaurant and had the first decent dinner she had had in awhile. _And that's saying something, 'cause McDonald's isn't exactly known for their class._

It was nearing 10 o'clock after she finished her strangely fulfilling meal. She had to eat slowly to prevent the meal from coming back the opposite way; plus, it gave her more time to think. _I have enough face make up to last me two more days. That's it. Fabulous. _She ran her fingers through her hair once more. _Well, they should be pretty much healed up by then. _She snickered. _Yeah, right. I'll just avoid everyone and stay outside most of the time. Weather should not be that big of a deal. _She moved on to think about sleep arrangements. Which, as of this moment, Maya had still had none.

So, she left the restaurant and began walking, and the more she walked the more she thought. And when you are a kid on the run, there are topics you definitely should not think about. _I will be fine. I'm a big girl. I deserve this anyway, it was my choice to leave. Mom can handle herself. She will be fine. It's only for a few nights, and if she knows what's good for her, she'll boot him out soon. _

She halted in her tracks. _What if she doesn't though? What if she lets him stay, and he keeps hitting her? I'm not there to take some of his anger._ Maya's stomach churned even more.

_What if he goes too far?_

As she stood up from her hunched position, she leaned on the trash receptacle for balance. _So much for a nice dinner._

She brushed the hair out of her face and pulled her hood closer. A few slightly concerned gazes later, Maya decided it was best if she kept on walking, hoping the acidic taste in her mouth would dissipate soon. It was nearing 11 now, and the streets of New York were not a place an eighth grader needed to be alone. But she had no where to be, so she just kept slowly meandering away.

_Wednesday, April 29th_

Maya stared into the cracked mirror in the dingy subway restroom. After applying some more pressure on the toilet paper bandage on her thigh under her jeans (because lord knows that one ply is not enough to soak up the blood), she took a finger and gently traced under her eyes. _Bags, bruises, and dark circles are just a girls best friends, aren't they? _She had gotten no sleep the night before, due to the fact that _I just had to keep on moving_. If she stopped, she ran the risk of being caught or mugged or worse. _With the way my body is feeling right now, I'm not sure getting murdered would have been a bad idea necessarily. _She splashed some water on her face and leaned on the edge of the sink. _I just have to wait out a few more days. I can handle it. I will be fine. If worse comes to worse, I can always crash on a rooftop somewhere. _

On her way to leave the subway, she heard the crash of thunder above. She grabbed an umbrella from the bin near the exit. A small smile graced her features when the title of the box caught her eye. _Matthews and Hart Umbrella Foundation. At least I've done one thing right. _She picked an umbrella out of the box, pulled her hood closer to her face, and began to tackle the stairs. _Stairs suck. Who even thought these were a good idea?_ Maya's thoughts were often interrupted by her mental cursing and trying to not move her ribs any more then necessary.

When she reached the top, the clock near the subway exit rang. It was 6 in the evening, _meaning everyone that could possibly blow my cover should be at home by now. I can freely wander around without any worries._

The closest thing to her position was a little supermarket. She maneuvered carefully through the aisles, pretending to look like a customer who was just confused on what to buy. The cashiers were not too enthused with a girl in an oversized black sweatshirt, but they were too preoccupied with their cell phones to do anything. When Maya rounded the corner, she nearly crashed into a cart. Lucky for her, the owner had abandoned it momentarily to get something from a top shelf. _Dress clothes and beautiful black heels with her blonde hair falling down onto her shoulders. How could I expect anything less from New York's finest lawyer? _The woman got what she was looking for and went to place it in her cart.

Maya bolted before Topanga could see her.

_Thursday April 30th_

Maya learned that naps are okay anywhere as long as they are 10 minutes or less, meaning she could get at least 30 minutes total of sleep a day. _That's enough to keep a person going, right?_

Maya learned that the loading docks along the river are beautiful at sunrise and sunset, and nobody questions why a hooded figure looms around with a drawing pad. She could sit down, give her body a chance to heal, and even catch some sleep without any questions.

Maya also learned that the area between the subway and the loading docks is not exactly the safest at any time of day. She now had to nurse a few more bruises, but other then that she was fine. Her body still had not completely healed up from the last time she saw him, but it was getting better. _I just wish that I had the time to lay down and sleep some of the bruises off._

_Friday, May 1st _

_Looking back, it was my fault, really. I should not have gotten on that smooth, warm, empty subway. Especially at 3 in the afternoon. I should've seen the signs. That was not a good idea. _

But at this point in her life, Maya was not thinking clearly. She was running on sheer fumes and adrenaline. So when she got on the subway that lead from the north of state where she was back to their city, she thought she could handle it. She did not think that she would doze off, and she certainly did not think she would be startled awake by a tap on the shoulder. _Maybe if it wasn't freaking bruised beyond repair I wouldn't have jumped!_ Maya flinched at her inward monologue, and she pulled her hood up more. _I really need to get some sleep._

"I know you're bag a mile away Maya." A perky voice interrupted her thoughts. The girl in question was paralyzed with fear, and she did not dare look up. Instead she just glanced over at the two pairs of shoes on either side of her, a pair of ballet flats and a pair of cowboy boots. "My mom said she saw you across the street from the supermarket Wednesday."

"Where ya been?" The boy asked. Maya pulled her body further in on itself. _I need to get out. I need to get out NOW. _

For once, Maya's luck was in her favor; the bell rang and the trains doors opened. She grabbed her bag and sprinted out, once again, agitating nearly every inch of her body. She was so close when a man walked in her sight of the exit. Maya halted in her tracks just before crashing into him. She glanced up at the tall man in front of her.

"So the flu, huh?" _  
><em>


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N.: Consider this your guys Christmas present. I can't believe I actually am able to post it in time. Sorry in advance if I don't make it next Sunday. Also, for all the Lucaya shippers, sorry there wasn't more of them. I wanted to focus more on the relationship between the Matthews and Maya. Maybe one day in the future I'll make a Lucaya fic based on this ones plot. **

**Also special shout-out to 2 different anons, la-la-la-45, gotta7love7books (yours among a couple others almost had me in tears omg ilysm I hope you have a magnificent life and Christmas you're beautiful) and to everyone else you guys seriously make my day. You're all magical and fabulous human beings!**

**I hope you all have a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays! Enjoy the chapter, one more after this!**

_Friday, May 1st continued_

"So the flu, huh?"

_So much for luck. _

Maya pulled down her sleeves even more and kept her hood up over her eyes, suddenly very self conscious that they could see everything that she had worked so to cover. It cast just enough of a shadow that none of them could see the defined bruises along her hairline that she was sure were still prominent against her pale skin tone, nor the dark circles under her eyes. She turned quickly on her heel to make a run for it, but a familiar brunette about the same height as her was in her way. She slowly turned back towards the man in question.

"Let's go." Cory solemnly stated as he grabbed Maya by the upper arm, a little rougher then what she had expected, and she silently thanked the universe that no one noticed her flinch. Riley bid Lucas farewell with a small kiss and followed in suite of her father.

The car ride was quiet. _Please, please, please Mr. Matthews, I know you are not a mind reader but PLEASE DO NOT TAKE ME BACK TO THAT APARTMENT. _She soon realized that that might not be the best train of thought either. _If they take me back to the Matthews house though, questions will pop up and things will get real bad real fast. But at least if I went to their home I stand a chance of getting out before anything happens. Right?_

With the combination of the pitter-patter of rain on the cars windows, the warmth inside, and the slow roll of the vehicle down the street, Maya fought hard to keep from falling asleep. She must have drifted off though, for all too soon the cars power was cut and the sound of doors opening alerted her that they had arrived. She jumped when the door next to her was opened, and she vainly tried to undo her seat belt with a shaking hand. Riley placed comforting hands over hers and unbuckled it for her. After getting out of the car, Maya slung her backpack over her shoulder; a wince crossed her face as the undue stress on her back caused it to pulsate with pain. That nap really cost her though, for a strange fog-like mist seemed to cover everything in her vision. Her head was swimming, and Riley said something to her father, but Maya could not comprehend it for the life of her.

"Hi sweetie!" A female voice could be heard in front of Cory. He stepped out of the way to show two figures, one distinctly being her daughter, and the other a hood-covered being with blonde locks coming out the side. He took a few steps toward his wife who was standing on the other side of the couch near the kitchen. Topanga's voice became serious soon after the reveal of the other. "I see you've found her."

Things were silent for a few seconds. "What were you thinking?" Cory spat quickly and loudly at her. Riley stood halfway between her parents and Maya, behind the couch.

"I'm sorry." Maya quietly voiced as she placed her bag on the ground next to the door and she took a few steps closer to the couch. Her body shook violently now, her heart and head were pounding, and spots danced in front of her vision. She knew she needed to run, but her ribs and her back and her head and her arms and her legs and everything just hurt, and _I am_ _just so tired_.

"I am too." He took three large strides towards her while he spoke. "How could you just skip school and expect-" By the time Cory was over to her though, Maya had disappeared from his line of sight. He looked down to see her fleeting figure and knees crashing onto the floor, open palms covering her head.

"I won't do it anymore, please don't. I'm sorry." Maya kept muttering the latter statement of an apology to herself.

Topanga was at her side in a second. "Maya? Sweetie?" She placed a hand on the back of the shaking teen who, in response, leaped forward out of the touch and spun around, now sitting completely on the floor and facing the two adults and her best friend with wild, unfocused eyes. In all the commotion, her hood had fallen back slightly, now only covering the very back of her head.

Maya Hart, according to Cory Matthews, looked absolutely and undoubtedly horrible. Patches of blood crusted in her greasy tresses of hair, bruises all ranging in color and severity dotting all over her face, bags under her eyes as dark as night, and she was so, so frail. Her skull jutted out harshly against her pale skin. Cory had somewhat noticed the weight loss in Maya over the past few weeks, but he knew better then to ever comment on a woman's weight. But this, this was just unhealthily skinny.

Gasps were elicited from all three people. "Maya what happened?" Riley was the first to break the tension that had been building, and she crouched down to hug her best friend. Maya initially tensed at the touch. The show of affection brought her back to reality though, and her eyes focused on Cory and Topanga, now both kneeling on the floor in front of her, eyes lit up with concern.

Riley pulled away. "What happened?" She repeated.

Maya cast her eyes downward. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the brunette. "And don't say that you fell, or you tripped, or you accidentally walked into a door. Again."

Maya closed her mouth in response. She vainly scrambled her brain to think up a story. _Got beat up at school? No, I haven't been to school. Got mugged? No, I still have my bag. _Her eyes darted over to where it was.

"You've been really accident prone lately, Maya?" Topanga questioned, trying to keep her voice strong and light. Maya did not like where this conversation was going so she just shrugged in response, keeping her face blank, her eyes cast downwards, and trying to control her breathing. Topanga nodded in response. "Riley, why don't you take Maya to the bathroom, and have her take a shower. Lone her a pair of your PJ's too, please."

Riley nodded her head. "Yes mom." She stood up and offered Maya two hands to help stand up, which her friend shakily accepted.

The shower was fantastic, absolutely amazing. She had never in her life felt water so hot, and it eased some of the knots and kinks out of her body. After carefully unraveling the makeshift cast the doctor had given her, she gently placed it under the warm stream of water to wash her hand. Maya knew that the water would not fix the bone, but it sure felt amazing.

Once she had finished, she put on the PJ's that were sitting on the toilet seat. Ever so cautiously did she put these on, hoping not to open up any wounds or break anything else. One quick glance in the mirror dissolved any idea of her getting out of here anytime soon. The PJ set that she was given to borrow was only a tank top and a pair of shorts that fell mid-thigh (plus her own undergarments, of course). Nearly everything was on full display.

Maya had known she was losing weight rapidly. Maya had known that the bruises and contusions she had gotten were bad. Maya had known that her scars and cuts on her thighs were pretty bad.

But when she looked into the lie that was the mirror, she did not recognize herself, until she touched her face.

She slowly sat on the floor, against the tub, beginning to find it very hard to breath.

_I have to get out of this place. Now. Before the Matthews get any more involved then they already have._

After composing herself, Maya opened the door and peaked around the corner. No sign of an adult could be seen, so she slowly padded over to Riley's room. When she entered, the first thing her eyes landed on was a tear-stained Riley sitting on the window bench and clutching a pillow, looking at the ground.

Maya walked over to her. "It's all right." She whispered, kneeling down on one knee in front of her, trying to get her to calm down. _All I do is hurt people_.

Riley looked at her incredulously. "How can you say that when you look in a mirror?"

She thought about it for a second before responding. "It's going to be all right."

"I just-" Riley threw the pillow to the side roughly. "Who did this to you? How did I not notice this? How could you not tell me? I am a terrible friend-"

Maya shushed her, and chose to only focus on the latter part of her speech. "You do a lot of good in this world, Riles, you're just not always around to see the difference it makes later." The blonde said with more certainty in her voice then ever before.

The young brunette wiped the tears off of her face. "I don't know Maya."

"You remember the day we met?"

_"I know it's not your problem. If you annoy your friends, they won't like you." Little 5 year old Riley said, wiping the tears and her nose on the sleeve of her long-sleeved shirt._

_"What?" Maya asked incredulously. "That's what friends are for! You think I'm your friend?"_

_"Yeah, what else would you be?"_

_The younger blonde looked off into the distance, and scrunched up her face as if thinking really hard. "I don't know. A way to make your parents mad, a cry for help, anything else. That's what my mommy's friend tells me."_

_"No. You're my friend." Riley replied with a matter-of-fact connotation. Then she leaned over and wrapped her arms around her new friend and, after Maya had relaxed from the initial touch, she hugged back._

Maya pushed a lock of brunette hair that had fallen from behind her friend's ear. "The things you do mean something to people, Riley." She stood up, and Riley's eyes followed her figure. "But I need you to do me one more favor."

"What?" She asked with wide and curious eyes.

After Maya sat on the floor near the door, she began pulling on her shoes and pulled on her long sleeved shirt over the tank top. She was lucky that Mrs. Matthews had put her bag and shoes in her daughter's bedroom. She would worry about pants later.

Riley stood up from her place on the windowsill, but she did not move away from the escape. "Wait, Maya, what are you doing?"

"You've got to let me go, okay little plant?"

"What do you mean?" Riley crossed her arms and did not move from in front of the window.

Maya shakily stood and began unsteadily walking over to her. She remained calm. "You need to let me leave." Riley's jaw dropped, but she did not move. "I'm not good for you. Let me go."

"No." She whispered.

"Riles-"

"No! Maya have you looked at yourself? You're hurt! Bad! Especially your legs," She pointed at them, and Maya self-consciously pulled down the shorts to try and cover more skin.

The blonde's patience was wearing thin. "Move." She tried to spit the word, but it came out shaky nonetheless.

"No! Mom! Da-" Riley nearly yelled.

Maya panicked and ran the last two steps and pushed a hand over her mouth. "Riley no! Call them off." She quietly demanded.

Riley removed her friend's hand from her mouth. "You're not leaving Maya. Why would you want to?"

She did not hear the door open, nor did she see the feminine figure behind her. "Because I'm not good for you Riley!" The big brown orbs stared back at her. "I don't want you to end up cateral damage."

The brunette's head tilted sideways, and her eyebrows furrowed in confustion. "You mean collateral damage?"

"Yeah, whatever. Point is, you- and you're parents- are real good people. I'm just one more mouth to feed. I refuse to make myself another responsibility. You're life would be a lot better off without me in it." Maya paused in her speech to sigh. "He was right."

"Who was right?" Riley questioned, shocked at what was coming out of her friend's mouth.

"My mother's-" _My mother's what? Screwing partner? Riley's to innocent to know that_. "A monster." Maya settled on. _Get back on topic and get out of here._ "I am a waste of time and space. Now please, Riley, please." Maya softly begged. "Move."

Riley's eyes glistened with un-shed tears, and her eyes slowly became downcast. On her way to looking at the floor, her eyes caught on to something dripping down her friend's leg. Something red that was shimmering under her lights. She quickly covered her dropped jaw with her hand and pointed at the liquid. "Maya, you're bleeding!"

She slapped her hand over her leg, causing some of the liquid in question to splatter slightly onto the floor. "Great, now I've ruined their carpet. You screw up." Maya muttered to herself accidentally loud enough that both Riley and the woman behind her to hear.

A comforting hand was placed on Maya's trembling back, and after the initial tense, the voice calmed her down from freaking out at the touch. "It's okay, Maya. It's okay. Let's get you cleaned up." The feminine voice stated, sniffling in the aftermath.

Topanga's throat was still tight as she tried to clean the young blonde up. Maya's speech was playing over and over in her head. A few phrases jumping out at her specifically: "waste of space," "responsibility," "screw up," and Topanga's personal favorite "just another mouth to feed". This was partially her fault, and the guilt was making her stomach knot up. One of her past cuts had opened up, which was where all the blood was coming from. It is bad enough having the scars on full display, but Maya did not think there was that many. After a few minutes of silence and cleaning, the older woman spoke up.

"What're you thinking?" Topanga asked lightly, trying to get her to break the silence.

"It's weird." Maya whispered to herself after a minute or so, staring at the cotton ball that was slowly but surely lifting some hardened blood and disinfecting her skin. The fumes she had been running on for the past few days had finally burned off entirely, and they left an empty pit in her stomach and her body aching for sleep. The fog in her mind may have dissipated from earlier due to the adrenaline high of trying to get out, but it was creeping back up on her. _More like hitting me with a train._

"What's weird?" Topanga questioned, trying to get as much information out as she could.

"You are the only ones." The child replied, still with a dazed expression and voice.

"The only ones what?"

Maya looked at Topanga now. "The only people in my life I trust." The older women gave a small smile and put her hand on the back of Maya's head, cradling it for a few seconds.

Topanga chose her next words with the utmost care. "You can always trust us, Maya. With anything." Maya knew what that meant, and she quickly looked back at her hands that were sitting in her lap. _I mean, I have to trust them at least a little right? Otherwise I would have fought tooth and nail to get out of here. But here I am. Sitting on the toilet._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the same voice. "Who did this?" She gestured toward the bruises on her arms. There was no response. "Was it a boyfriend, perhaps?"

"Yeah. My mom's." An extremely quiet voice replied, and Topanga was not entirely sure if it was the girl or the wind.

She continued to carefully tend to the cuts on her thighs. They were in such uniform straight lines, and there were so many of them. "Were these intentional?"

The young girl stayed quiet for a long period of time. "He- People call you bad names and beat you down enough, you start to believe it." Topangas grip on her leg tightened, and Maya whispered a "Mrs. Matthews" until the older woman realized what she was doing and quickly released.

"Sorry." She hastily apologized, and moved on to the other leg. She paused in her mending to look up at her. "I think you are a very smart and special girl."

Maya mulled that over in her thoughts. "The bad stuff is easier to believe. You ever notice that?" She replied, the cloudiness in her eyes and tiredness in her voice increasing.

Topanga could not reply.

After she had finished cleaning and wrapping most of the wounds, she had Maya go sit in Riley's room with her. The bandages ran around her bony legs down to her knees, and she also had the girl change into a long sleeved shirt and pants, something she knew Maya would be much more comfortable walking around in. She went to check on Auggie; he was still playing with his toys in his room. She told him to stay in there and to keep playing. Topanga did not want the little boy seeing this and she knew Maya would not either. Re-entering the living room, she saw her husband pacing back and forth, rubbing his face raw.

"Who is it? I'll kill him!" Cory shouted a little too loudly, throwing a fist into the air haphazardly.

"Sweetie, calm down."

"Some teenage boy thinks he can just-"

"Cory."

"And get away with it?" He threw his arms in the air dramatically.

"Cory."

"Maya is just a little girl!"

"Cory!"

He walked up really close to her. "How are you not enraged Topanga?"

"Because it was her mother's boyfriend." Topanga whispered it.

Cory looked as if the wind had gotten kicked out of him, and he put his hand out behind him to find the couch so he could sit down. "Oh." He paused, letting the information sink in. "I don't know what to do. What do we do?"

"Well, what about Shawn?" Topanga went and sat next to her husband.

"Shawn always told me when bad stuff was happening, and it was never this kind of bad."

She let the silence thicken. "You remember Claire?"

"Yeah," He leaned back against the couch. "God, I'll never forget that car ride to the police station with my dad. Silent. But is getting the police involved really the best option right now?"

"I don't know, sweetie." Cory leaned forward again and put his head in his hands.

He snapped his head up from his position on the couch. He looked over to the kitchen area, where a certain old man with white hair and reading glasses sat. "What am I supposed to do about this Mr. Feeny?"

The older man stared at Cory for a few seconds, then he took his glasses off and put them in his front pocket. "You're smart, Mr. Matthews. You'll figure it out."

Cory stood up exasperatedly at that statement, throwing his hands in the air. "No I'm not! You taught me growing up, you know better than anyone that I'm anything but smart!"

Mr. Feeny remained calm. He gave the younger man a second to rub his face and sit back down on the couch. "What if this situation involved Mr. Hunter?"

"I would do everything in my power to make him safe. You know that. But Maya is not Shawn. This- this is a whole different ball game."

"How is it different?"

"Because she's-" Cory waved his hand in the air.

"A girl?"

"Don't do that Feeny! You know my wife, if that thought ever crossed my mind-" He looked behind his shoulder, as if Topanga would magically appear and start yelling after hearing that. "Anyway. She's seen more then Shawn. Plus, Shawn always had a safety net to run to."

"Does Miss Hart?"

Cory paused, fiddling with his wedding ring as he thought. "I'm not sure if she knows it."

"You know what you would do with Mr. Hunter. Act accordingly with Miss Hart."

He let his head fall back in his hands. "But Feeny-" when he looked up, his mentor was gone.

"You're talking to Feeny again?" Topanga's voice nearly caused Cory to jump out of his skin.

He shook it off and continued with his thought. "Why don't we get as much information from her as possible, and if need be bring in the police?" Topanga looked wary. "Because with Claire, she had that aunt in Vermont to take care of her. Maya has no one."

She nodded, understanding Cory's train of thought. "It's going to be a rough night." Topanga went on to tell him of the scene she had entered in on in Riley's room, speech, and everything else she learned when she was fixing her legs. When she was finished, tears were free-falling and chocked sobs were beginning to escape. He wrapped his arms around his wife, consoling her.

"Shhh, it's all right. We can do this. What do you think we should do though?" He pulled her away from him, holding on to her arms. "Call the police?"


	6. Chapter 6

Topanga mulled the question over. "I don't think getting the police involved would be the best thing for her."

"Why not? That's what we did with Claire."

"Yeah, but she had family other places." Topanga retorted. "Maya doesn't. Plus, it isn't like she's staying in the situation because she believes that her father still-" She could not bear to finish the statement. "I think we need to call Katy first." Topanga pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number, putting the phone on speaker, and holding it between herself and her husband.

"Hello?"

"Hi Katy, it's Topanga and Cory Matthews. I was wondering if you had a moment to talk?"

"Uh, yeah sure, just give me a moment." Rustling and mumbling could be heard on the other end. "How may I help you?"

"We just wanted to call and tell you Maya is here."

"Oh, good." Katy said softly.

"Katy, we know about the boyfriend."

A long pause ensued before an quieter "oh" was heard.

"We do not want to get the police involved-"

Katy stopped them right then. "No, please, don't! I uh-" An inhale and exhale is heard on their end of the line. "He's gone now. There won't be a need for that." The worry in her voice was almost palpable.

"We just wanted to let you know that she is here and she is safe. Do you mind if we talk to her about-?" Topanga looked at Cory for help.

"Everything?" He supplied.

"No, by all means go ahead. I can't promise you'll get a lot outta her though."

Topanga weighed her next words carefully. "You have a very strong daughter, Katy."

The woman sighed. "Yeah, well, she puts up a real good front, and when she wants to shut you out you could uh-" Katy gave a short, airy, humorless laugh. "Die from frost bite." Another long pause ensued, and to this day, Topanga and Cory would swear that they heard a few sniffles on the other end of the line. "Well, I uh- need to get back to work. Thank you so much for taking care of my little girl. I just- I really love her, and I just don't know what I'd do if I lost her. If there is anything I could do to repay you let me know."

Cory jumped in. "Actually, there is something you could do."

"Shoot." She said immediately.

He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "You let us take care of Maya if it ever comes to this situation again."

A small laugh that almost resembled a choked sob resonated through the air, and the response they earned was of a higher pitch. "You got it, Mr. Matthews."

The three said their goodbyes and hung up.

"Call in the two girls and talk with them?" Cory asked Topanga.

She nodded. "That's what I was thinking. But let's keep the interrogation to a minimum for now, Maya's beat and I don't want to upset her to the point that she tries to run away. " The two nodded and Topanga went to get the two girls.

The second Maya sat down, Cory asked her a question. "First thing's first, do we need to take you to the hospital?"

_I can't afford that and don't you dare waste your time, Matthews._ Maya focused on the center of the table, not daring to make eye contact. "No, I don't think so."

"Good." He nodded his head, sitting down at his end of the table. "What made you think you could live on your own?"

Maya slowly pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. _This is all happening so fast. You can't tell them anything. They can't be trusted._

Cory gave her some time to think, but he realized she was trying to close them off. "Maya you have to let us in. You can trust us."

Riley jumped in a few beats after her father. "You have to let the walls come down, and I'll be right here for you." Maya gave Riley a wary glance. "I can handle it."

"It-it wasn't that hard. I already knew how to survive on little." She covered her mouth to yawn. "It was just a matter of living on less."

"How long did you think you would last?" He continued. "On your own, that is."

She just shrugged in response.

"Why do you think he did it?" Topanga asked quietly.

Maya shrugged again, tilting her head back and forth a little, but still remaining fixated on the center of the table. "It's weird. Most of the time with guys like him they have some kind of sob story."

Cory did not hesitate to respond, and tried his hardest to keep his voice level. "Even if he did, that's no excuse."

Maya made eye contact to that, as if something in her mind clicked. She yawned once more after going back to what she had been looking at prior. 

"One more question, then you can go to bed." Cory said, his voice softening to new levels. "Why did you stay with your mother as long as you did?"

"Because I have to take care of her." She whispered back almost as quietly. "Because she's all I got."

Cory and Topanga each nodded only once.

"Wait! May I ask one question?" Riley asked, raising her free hand in the process.

"Shoot." Maya said in a monotone manner, not able to even bring a smile to her face at her friend's automatic reaction.

"What were you doing with all the time you weren't with me or at school?"

She picked at the little hairs on her pajama pants while she replied. "I kind of got a job. A little Podunk restaurant on East 86th." Maya took in the adult's inquisitive stares. "It was family owned, and they don't exactly believe in child labor laws, so I could work there as many hours as I wanted and get paid."

The brown-eyed girl squinted at the spot her best friend was originally looking at, nodding her head slightly.

"Riley, I know you're probably not tired-" Topanga began.

"I think I'm going to go lay down with Maya. Come get me when dinner's ready, mom?" She asked as the two began to get up and walk towards Riley's room, arm-in-arm. Her mother nodded in response.

Maya slept like a rock until around 10 when Riley came to bed. She had awoken to the jostling of the bed, and of course the younger girl freaked out slightly that she had disturbed her sleep that she desperately needed. Maya quelled her best friend and soon the two girls were fast asleep.

Maya stood outside the door to her apartment. She looked around, trying to gauge her surroundings. With no memory of how she got here, she focused back on the door in front of her. A bright yellow piece of paper was taped haphazardly on the door. She yanked it down, beginning to bite her lower lip as she read it. "EVICTED" the top of the paper read in bold red letters. She glanced left and right again, trying to find some form of reality.

"Although, who's to say this isn't reality?" She said aloud to herself. It certainly was a plausible event to happen. Not totally crazy. But something about this scene set her on edge, something told her this was not real.

The next thing Maya heard was a piercing scream, and it came from the other side of the door. She jiggled the knob, only to find it locked. Taking a step back, and she forcefully kicked the door near the knob. It did not budge. She tried again, but to know avail. Another blood curdling scream. _Three times the charm._ Another forceful kick, and the door came crashing open. Maya held onto the left side of the door frame, peeking her head around the corner into the .

There he was, standing over a lifeless Katy Hart with blood trickling down her forehead and contusions covering nearly every inch of skin.

Maya nearly dropped to her knees. "No!" She let out an anguished scream.

A sickly smile twisted on his face. "Oh, you ain't seen nothin' yet, sweetie." He walked over and snatched her by the arm, hauling her being into the living room. He threw her to the ground in front of a group of people, all on their knees with their hands behind there backs, bound by what seemed like rope. He walked over to the cabinet under the television and pulled out a revolver. Something in her being knew _this would never happen there is no revolver in the cabinet, there never has been_. But her thoughts did not stop her from watching the shiny piece of metal in his hands walk around the four tied people.

Four of which she suddenly recognized. An older man, one with gentle and wise eyes and curly brown hair. Next, an older woman with long hair and eyes that were bright and oh-so confident. Next was a younger girl with long hair. She was the carbon copy of the older man, all except for the hair and eyes; those were all the older woman's. Finally a little boy. Curly brown locks and eyes curious and innocent graced him.

He switched the safety off with a definite click, and aimed it at the tallest man's head.

"No!" She screamed out louder than before, and she pushed him out of the way to crouch in front of the others. "You are not taking them from me. They have done nothing wrong. They are good people!" Tears were racing down her face, and she could feel her stomach and heart spasm painfully at every passing second.

He threw her being to the side. "I told you not to fight, you little bitch!" He walked behind the older man.

She took one last glance over the four, and stopped at the little boy. He was so young to be seeing this, and to be here, but something about the way he looked at Maya told her that he was not _there_. That sounds crazy, even to Maya, but that little boy had a small smile on his face, and it just did not seem real.

"Maya, Maya, look at me." She glanced up to meet Cory's pained eyes, and more tears began to spill from her eyes. She put a hand over her mouth to stop the sob. "It's okay." He whispered, a tear rolling down his own cheek. He pulled the revolver up to Cory's head, Maya through her head to the side, and-

Maya snapped up in the bed with a jolt, gasping for air that her lungs could not seem to get a hold of. She ran her clammy fingers through her now slightly sweaty hair, and looked to the right to make sure she had not disturbed Riley. She lets out a quiet sigh of relief when she realized that she had not.

"Just a dream." The mumbled mantra worked for a few moments, until she heard a loud clank emanate from the living room, in which case her heart was now nearly beating out of her chest. Again. She swallowed thickly and tiptoed to the Matthews' kitchen, terrified that her nightmare, for whatever reason, just might have become a reality.

She peeked around the corner to see Auggie on his very tip toes trying to fill up a glass with water from the faucet. "Hey." Maya's voice quietly shook in the dark.

He turned around, eyes big and animated as if he had been caught stealing a cookie prior to dinner. He swiped the back of his hand on his forehead, wiping off imaginary sweat. "Phew, it's just you."

She offered a small laugh. "Yeah, it's just me. What're you doing?" She walked closer to him, but made sure to keep enough of a distance that he could not see any bruises.

"I was thirsty." He tossed back the rest of the water. "And now I'm not. Take me to bed?" He asked with a nearly tooth-less grin. He held out his hand as he got closer to her, and she took it ever so carefully.

The two had now entered his room, and she dropped him off there. "Crawl into bed." Maya whispered, trying desperately to keep from awakening anyone else. She stared at Auggie and he stared back after following the first order. "Okay. See you tomorrow." She began to exit the room.

"Wait!" Auggie quietly demanded. Maya re-entered the room, a questioning look written on her face.

"Read me a story?" Little Auggie's voice pulled on Maya, and she did not know if she could turn him down.

"Um, I'm not the best reader."

"Well you can sing right?"

Maya walked towards his bed. "You want me to sing you something?" Auggie responded with a large grin and a nod. "Okay." She quietly replied, bending down on her knees with a wince, and leaning on the bed.

"Here, give me your hand." Maya said, offering her own.

"Why?"

"I'm going to pull your fingers."

Auggie made a disgusted face. "Gross! My daddy does that when he needs to toot!"

A small and genuine smile broke on Maya's face. "No, it's not like that Auggie. It feels really nice. May I show you?" She questioned, keeping her voice light.

Auggie raised his eyebrow slightly, but slowly he gave his hand over to Maya. She took it and started pulling his fingers gently and lightly drawing circles on the top of his hand. "That feels really nice." He said fighting to keep his eyes open.

"My mother did it to me when I was younger."

After a beat, there was a response. "I still want a song though."

Maya nodded in the dark. She blinked a few times, trying to keep the mist out of her eyes. The only lullaby she knew was the one her mother sang to her while she gave her a hand massage before bed. It was from some movie, but it had been so long since she had heard it. Nonetheless, Maya closed her eyes, began humming, and then ever so quietly singing:

"_Loola-Bye, oh, Loola Bye,  
>My lovely Loola moon.<br>Tip-toe by where my baby lies,  
>In your tiny silver shoon.<br>Will you guard, will you keep  
>Will you watch over please?<br>My wee one, my lambkin  
>My sweet chick-a-chick-a-dee.<br>Loola-Bye, oh, Loola-Bye...  
>In your tiny silver shoon.<em>"

By the time she reopened her eyes, Auggie was fast asleep. She brushed a thick brown curl out of his face, stood up, and silently padded out of the room, clicking the door shut behind her. Topanga and Cory shut their door at the same time, ensuring that the young girl did not hear them.

Maya leaned against the child's door, letting a few tears fall as she gnawed on her bottom lip. Knowing she was not about to retreat back to the land of the sleeping any time soon, she returned back to Riley's room and retrieved her sketchbook and pencils, figuring she might as well do something to keep her hands active.

With her materials in hand and a final check at the clock- 3:39 A.M.- Maya headed to the roof.

She had spent the first hour and a half finishing up a past portrait, then when the sun began to rise, she switched to a blank canvas and began the new sketch. Maya was not always a fan of mornings, as they meant that you had to wake up, but when she got up on her own volition, she found that mornings are not that bad. The sun rise is beautiful, and with every sun rise there is a promise of a new day.

And a promise that today might just be better then yesterday, and even if it is not, it will eventually. She counts her blessings that she might make it to see that sunrise.

Between the drawing and the thoughts, Maya had lost track of time. Before she knew it, she was finishing up the New York skyline and someone was sitting down next to her.

She risked a look at him. Cory sat next to her in his robe, leaning back just as Maya was, breathing evenly, and looking out over the skyline with a relaxed smile.

Maya's head tilted in curiosity, and before anyone could say anything, she began to put her pencils away and quickly shut her drawing pad.

"Beautiful, huh?"

The sound of his voice caused Maya to jump a little, and she pulled off the wall. "Yes, sir."

Cory glanced over at the moving girl. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it at the last second, his smile beginning to fade.

"What?" Maya questions.

"I just..." He was at a loss for words, so he gestured to the air while he tried to organize his thoughts. "I'm your teacher. I'm supposed to notice these things." _I do not want to talk right now, Mr. Matthews. Let's not do this, okay?_

She rolled onto her knees and faced him, hoping to give him the clue that she was about to leave. "Cut yourself some slack, sir. I didn't want anyone knowing anything. It had nothing to do with what you could see."

Cory nodded in response, and realized that she would not be going back to whatever she was doing prior to him getting up there. He decided to keep the conversation going. "You were wrong about one thing Maya. You don't just have your mom." A beat passed before he continued, gaining curious look from her. "You've got us too, and you can always come and talk to us."

Maya found the only thing she could do was nod. She thought about trying to stand up, but now that her right foot was lit up with the feeling of pins and needles rushing through, she decided against it. She kept wiggling her toes instead, trying to wake it up from her crouched position.

"So, what're you doing up here?" Cory calmly asked, trying to keep her from closing everybody off and putting up the walls again.

Maya, albeit hesitant, responded. "I- I uh... I had a nightmare." _What? Why did I just admit that? Crap. Now he's going to want more._

"Do you want to talk about it?" Before Maya could turn him down, Cory offered one more statement, hoping it would be enough to get her to open up just a little bit to him. "Because I would love to listen."

'_I'm tired of secrets' _was Maya's final thought before she slowly but surely told Cory the dream. She began to recount every moment with vivid detail, and by the end, tears were free-falling down her face, and she was finding it increasingly impossible to finish. She had begun to pick at her nails, hoping her friend's father did not notice the tears.

"And he uh," She hiccuped slightly. "He held the gun to your head-" Maya placed both hands over her face, and whispered a "stop" to herself.

"What?" Cory whispered just as quietly.

She pulled her hands away from her face. "Stop it, Maya." She said a little more forcefully. A few more tears raced down her face and off her nose and splashed on the cement rooftop. "STOP IT!" She slapped her hands on her face and began scrubbing. _Stop being a baby, Hart. You are so pathetic. Mr. Matthews might as well kick you to the curb now, you're in eighth grade and you're crying over a stupid dream like a child._

"Hey, hey, hey! It's okay." He pulled her hands down from her face so she would stop hurting herself. "Look at me, Maya." He put his index finger under her chin and gently lift up. "It's okay."

She pursed her lips and shook her head, trying to get the tears to stop. Cory enveloped the little girl in his arms, careful not to cause her any pain and holding the back of her head, gently rocking her back and forth. She stiffened for a few moments, but eventually relaxed as he murmured nothings to her.

Soon, she had stopped crying enough to compose herself and pull away. "This is dumb, but can I show you something?" Maya silently cursed her voice for seeming so small and weak.

Cory numbly nodded. He was still trying to process Maya's dream, and wondered more about what this young girl had seen in the world.

She was flipping back open her sketchpad, and finally landed on a page. She hugged it close to her body. "You, uh, told me to paint you a picture when something beautiful happened. Well, it did. It took me a few years to realize it, but." Maya looked up through fallen strands of blonde hair at Cory and tried vainly to gauge his emotions.

She could not read him though, and even though she hesitated at first, Maya slowly began to spin the pad so Cory could see it. She silently thanked herself that she had finished it earlier.

The portrait depicted a family of five sitting around a table: a mother, a father, a son, and two daughters, with fried chicken and a big bowl of mashed potatoes. Cory instantly recognized the family, as it was his own. "This," He dipped his head down to her level so they could make eye contact. "Most certainly, is not dumb." He smiled.

He gave her a couple pats on the back. "Well, it's 7:30 now. You ready to head back?"

She nodded in the affirmative, running her fingers through her hair and giving a small "yeah".

He stood, and waited a few seconds for her to follow. She never did. "Maya?"

"Mhm?" She asked, biting her lip. The bags under her eyes were still very prominent and she still looked malnourished along with a long list of other problems, but for just a split second in that one word response, Cory saw a twinkle of the old Maya in her eyes: carefree and happy. A smile graced his features. "I said yeah." She told him again when he had not replied.

He shook his head. "Oh. You coming?" He held the door open.

"Yeah, just give me a sec." She stretched her legs out in front of her, squeezing her eyes shut tight.

The concern kicked in. "Are you okay?" He crouched back down next to her, placing a hand gingerly on her back.

Maya felt the corners of her mouth tug upward slightly. "Yes, sir, my feet are just asleep."

Cory cracked a huge grin, and five minutes later, the two were headed back towards the Matthews' home.

"Maya!" Riley ran over and nearly tackled the blonde.

"Sh, sweetie, I want Auggie to sleep in." Topanga whispered to her daughter when she followed her into the living room. "And see? I told you she was fine."

Maya's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What is she talking about?"

"I thought you ran." Riley quickly supplied.

"Now, why would I do that, Riles?"

She opened her mouth and closed it, having no response. The two sat down on the couch together, slowly but surely beginning to doze off in front of the television.

Topanga was already up for the day though, which meant everyone else was to be too, and at 8:00 sharp, breakfast was ready. Two plates of homemade pancakes were placed in front of the girls by Topanga. Maya waited for Riley to take a bite of her food before she even thought about picking hers up. _Food is for good girls_ her mind argued with her. Maya stared at it for a few more seconds, feeling her mouth water. God, she was hungry. She sliced off a small bite and slowly put it in her mouth. The taste exploded onto her taste buds, the pancake was rich, sweet, fluffy, and any other adjective that she could think of. This was, without a doubt, the best thing she had eaten in two months.

"Is it good, sweetie?" Topanga asked, cutting into her breakfast as was her husband. They pretended, just this once, to not notice Maya.

Maya could not muster a smile, and she just stared at the plate. "Mhm." She sounded, trying not to show the food in her mouth. Once she swallowed, she continued. "Best thing I've had in-" she choked on her words.

Truth be told, Maya could not remember the last time she had a good meal. More warm wetness ran down her face, and she looked down at her lap so she could wipe the left side of her face with the back of her hand, trying to be inconspicuous. She went to do the same to the right, but a hand stopped her. She turned to face the owner of the hand. Riley wiped the other half of her face with a smile.

"You okay?" She mouthed.

"I'm okay." Maya mouthed back. Riley's hand slid over to her best friends and interlocked her fingers with hers. The first genuine smile Maya Hart had had in months graced her features, and Cory and Topanga Matthews looked at each other, pride and happiness gleaming in both of their eyes.

They may have a long way to go, but Maya Hart would be okay.

_**Fin.**_

**A/N: And... cut. All right people, that's a wrap! Thanks for everything from constructive criticism (which I appreciate) to the random reviews! You are all amazing, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays! Until next time, my dears. **


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